It started as just another call.
Another “dangerous Glyph” sighting.
Another order from the Council to contain something they didn’t understand.
But the moment I saw him… I knew this was different.
When we got to the Verdent Market, it was completely abandoned. Stalls knocked over, fruit everywhere—like everyone had run for their lives. And honestly? I thought we were about to do the same.
Then the ground started shaking.
And he appeared.
This massive, metallic-blue, dinosaur-like Glyph stepped out from behind the market ruins… and I swear, my heart stopped. He was huge—like nothing I’d ever seen before.
But the weirdest part?
There were bushes growing out of his back.
Strawberry bushes.
Actual strawberries.
I didn’t even have time to process it before he roared and came charging straight at us. Luna panicked, Zena started yelling, Aura Beak took off—and yeah… I really thought that was it for us.
I thought we were about to get eaten.
But then…
Something felt off.
He wasn’t snapping at us.
He wasn’t trying to attack.
He was just… chasing.
That’s when I saw it—a ball rolling across the ground.
And instead of going for us…
He went for the ball.
That’s when it hit me.
He didn’t want to hurt us.
He just wanted to play.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt relief hit me that fast in my life.
We named him Strawbrawn after that.
Yeah, I know—it sounds ridiculous—but once you see him, it just fits.
He’s powerful… but gentle.
Massive… but playful.
And those strawberries on his back? They’re not just for show. He can actually grow plant life around him. It’s like he carries an entire ecosystem wherever he goes.
Which, apparently, is exactly why the Council wanted him.
They called me not long after we figured him out. I told them everything—that he wasn’t dangerous, that he was calm, that he could be studied without being locked up.
They didn’t care.
To them, he was still a threat.
Something to contain.
Something to control.
And I knew what that meant.
So… we made a choice.
We caught him—but not for them.
We took him somewhere hidden. Somewhere safe. An old greenhouse outside the mapped zones. It felt right… like he belonged there.
Like he could finally just exist.
For a second… I thought that was the end of it.
I really did.
But I should’ve known better.
The Council sent someone after us.
Not a team.
Just one person.
And honestly? That made it worse.
They didn’t yell. They didn’t threaten.
They just… knew.
Knew we were hiding him.
Knew we were lying.
And when they tried to take him—
That’s when everything changed.
Strawbrawn got scared. Really scared. And when they trapped him, when I saw that look in his eyes… I couldn’t just stand there.
I couldn’t let them take him.
So I did something I probably wasn’t ready for.
Something I didn’t fully understand.
But it worked.
I freed him.
And when he broke out… when that power surged through him…
That’s when I realized—
Strawbrawn isn’t just a Glyph.
He’s something more.
Something the Council doesn’t understand.
Something they’re afraid of.
Now they’re coming back.
Not just one agent.
Not just a small team.
More.
And this time… they won’t underestimate us.
But they don’t get it.
They still think this is about control.
About containment.
About power.
It’s not.
It’s about trust.
And I made a promise the moment Strawbrawn looked at me like I was someone he could rely on.
I’m not breaking that.
No matter what the Council says.
No matter what they send after us.
We’re done running.